


Operation Polka

by aurorstorm



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Puppies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-11
Updated: 2013-06-11
Packaged: 2017-12-14 15:40:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/838560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurorstorm/pseuds/aurorstorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Actually, it’s about Pongo. He, uh, made a very special friend a little while ago. A female Dalmatian by the name of Perdita. The litter was born just yesterday.”</p>
<p>Emma smiles uncertainly, a little confused as to why this is such a pressing matter. “Oh. Well, that’s great,” she says. “Good for Pongo.”</p>
<p>“Emma...” Archie shakes his head and chuckles. “I’m asking you if you’d like one of the puppies. To give to Regina.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Operation Polka

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous asked: I have a fluffy prompt. Pongo finds a girlfriend and has puppies. Emma and Henry get Regina a puppy for her birthday because she secretly adores Pongo and loves animals.

“Emma, Regina! Hey, Henry!” Archie greets them one Saturday morning on their way to the diner, and Pongo barks his own ‘hello’, pulling on his leash and jumping to get at Regina. “Wonderful to see you-- Pongo, no--”

 

“Oh, it’s fine, Dr Hopper,” Regina dismisses, and crouches down to the dog’s level. “Hello Pongo! Who’s a beautiful boy? You are! Have you missed me?”

 

Emma is pretty busy gawking at Regina like she’s some kind of alien when Dr Hopper taps her shoulder and asks, “Emma, mind if we have a quick chat?”

 

“Sure,” she says, and tears her eyes away from her, uh, _girlfriend_ , and her apparent canine best friend to follow Archie a little further down the street. “Everything okay?”

 

“Oh yes, absolutely,” he assures her, and quickly glances back at Regina with a smile. “Actually, it’s about Pongo. He, uh, made a very special friend a little while ago. A female Dalmatian by the name of Perdita. The litter was born just yesterday.”

 

Emma smiles uncertainly, a little confused as to why this is such a pressing matter. “Oh. Well, that’s great,” she says. “Good for Pongo.”

 

“Emma...” Archie shakes his head and chuckles. “I’m asking you if you’d like one of the puppies. To give to Regina.”

 

_Oh._ “Seriously?” she asks. “I don’t know that I can-- you know we don’t even live together, right?”

 

Archie shrugs. “Yes, I know. But Regina’s birthday is coming up, and judging by her relationship with Pongo, I think a puppy of her own would be the perfect present. Besides, there are many positive effects of dog ownership--”

 

“I’m aware--”

 

“--which would benefit both Regina _and_ Henry.”

 

Emma sighs, and then looks back over her shoulder to where the two in question are practically fawning over a very appreciative Pongo. Regina has the dog’s head cupped in her palms while she coos at him, and Henry is petting Pongo while smiling up at his mom.

 

It’d be a heartwarming sight to anyone, but to Emma? It’s like kryptonite. “Okay,” she relents, and Archie breaks out into a grin. “Yeah, okay. Put my name down, then. Female, preferably? A little less... peeing, right?”

 

Archie laughs. “I believe so. And-- I’m very glad, Emma. Thank you.”

 

“No, thank _you_. You’ve no idea how clueless I was as to what to get Regina for her birthday.”

 

“Happy to help,” he replies, and the two of them head back over to the others. Regina stands up once they reach her and she hands Archie back the leash, and Emma had never realised that dogs could literally _frown_ until she sees Pongo’s face in that moment. Archie notices too, apparently, and tells him, “Sorry, Pongo, you’re stuck with me again.”

 

“Bye bye, Pongo,” Regina says, and gives him one last pat on his head.

 

Archie smiles at them all one by one, lingering on Emma. “Have a lovely day, you guys.”

 

“Seeya, Archie, and Pongo,” Henry says, and they wave them goodbye before finally heading into Granny’s.

 

“What was that about?” Regina asks Emma once Henry runs up to examine today’s range of pastries in the counter.

 

“Oh, nothing, just a noise complaint he wants me to go check out,” she covers smoothly. “And hey, you’d better go wash up before we eat anything. I can literally smell that dog on you.”

 

Regina blushes, and scowls at her.

 

“Don’t worry, I think it’s cute,” Emma teases.

 

“Shut up and go order, would you?” she retorts, rolling her eyes but smacking Emma’s butt as she walks past her.

 

“Yes, ma’am,” Emma laughs, walking over to join her son and simply ignoring all the murmurs and titters she leaves in her wake.

 

~

 

Emma walks Henry home from school the next day, and when she suggests the idea to him, he literally skips all the way home in his excitement.

 

“This is the coolest idea ever! I love it! She’s gonna love it!”

 

“Are you sure?” Emma asks, because she’s imagined hundreds of scenarios in which Regina _doesn’t_ like it and none of them end in birthday sex for Emma. Not that she’d tell the kid that, of course, but Emma thinks it’s a pretty valid concern.

 

“Yeah, duh,” he replies. “You’ve seen her with Pongo. She would _love_ a mini-Pongo. And when she was younger, she used to really love horses.” He claps his hands together with glee. “This is gonna be so great! We’re getting a puppy!”

 

“Okay, kid,” Emma says, getting nervous about the volume of his cheers. If he lets this slip to Regina or one of their friends... and then the idea comes to her. “I’m gonna need your help, Henry. Got any ideas for a secret mission name?”

 

His grin widens, which Emma didn’t think was actually possible. “Sure! How about... Operation Polka. Like polka dots, because dalmatians are--”

 

“Spotty, yeah, I get it,” Emma laughs. “Alright. Operation Polka.”

 

“So what do we have to do?”

 

“You’ll have a few jobs. One is dog-proofing your house. That means putting all cords out of reach, making sure the fences are totally secure, and if you can find a way to get your mom used to not leaving her fancy shoes by the door every evening...”

 

Henry snorts. “Unlikely.”

 

“Yeah, maybe that one’s a long shot,” Emma agrees. “Anyway, together we can do all the fun things, like shopping for beds and toys and all that stuff. I’ll stash it all at the apartment.”

 

Henry gasps, all of a sudden, and spins to face her. “Can we get a collar with little bells on it?!”

 

“Oh, my god,” Emma groans, but can’t help grinning back. “Yeah. Sure thing. As long as you calm down before your mom gets home from work!”

 

~

 

If Emma wasn’t sold on this idea before, she’s wholly convinced once she lays eyes on the rolly-polly, squirming pile of 2-week-old pups currently wobbling their way over to her and Henry.

 

“Sure we can’t take them all?” Henry asks as he scoops one off the ground and nuzzles it.

 

“Tempting,” Emma replies. Then, three puppies get into a little scuffle by her side and while she’s busy fussing over them she almost misses the slightest pressure come down on her knee. She glances down, and her breath hitches in her throat when she realises that a little puppy has wandered quietly over, sat down by her side and politely placed a paw on her knee as if to say, _Is it almost my turn?_

 

“Henry, look,” she practically whispers, and Henry says, “That’s actually the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

 

The two of them take turns cuddling the tiny puppy - a girl, too! - and then Emma calls over the dogs’ owner. “We’ll take her,” she confirms. “She’s gorgeous.”

 

“I can’t believe we have to wait six more weeks,” Henry groans.

 

~

 

One week before Regina’s birthday, Emma nearly blows the entire operation. She’s out at the store doing her grocery shopping, and of _course_ she literally bumps into Regina on her way to the checkout.

 

“Oh. Hi,” Regina says and, to Emma’s surprise, leans in and kisses her kind of clumsily on the corner of Emma’s mouth. It’s so sweet and unexpected that Emma nearly drops her basket, and glancing down curiously, Regina asks, “Why are you buying dog treats?”

 

_Shit._ “Uh,” Emma flounders, and Regina raises an eyebrow as she blushes. “I think David wanted them for the dogs in the shelter? It’s... it was on my list.” She shrugs, and desperately hopes Regina buys such a weak response.

 

“Okay,” Regina replies slowly, narrowing her eyes, but drops the subject. “Will I see you tonight?”

 

Emma grins, glad for the invite _and_ the change of topic. “Yeah. Definitely.”

 

Regina’s lips curve into a wicked smile and she turns away to continue shopping. _Crisis averted._

 

~

 

When Emma wakes on Regina’s birthday, naked and curled up in Regina’s arms in that sinfully soft bed, she’s so comfortable and content that she forgets to be nervous.

 

“Happy birthday, babe,” Emma mumbles against Regina’s neck, and waits for Regina to hit her.

 

“Don’t call me that,” she scolds with a pinch on Emma’s arm, but kisses her all the same.

 

~

 

After enjoying a team-effort cooked breakfast, Henry presents his handmade card to Regina, and she cries and hugs him and tells him how much she loves him for a full five minutes. It’s impossible to complain, though, because this overly emotional and openly loving Regina is in a much better place than the one who would have simply smiled her appreciation and decidedly would not have woken up in bed next to Emma.

 

She shoots a quick text to Archie while Regina reads over her card again, and he promptly replies to tell her he’s outside and waiting.

 

“Sorry to break this up, but I think it’s gift time now,” Emma says, easing Henry away from his mother, and she doesn’t miss how Regina’s eyes light up in excitement.

 

Henry remembers his part in the day’s events, then, and gives Emma a thumbs up. “Mom, why don’t you come and sit down while Emma gets the present?” he suggests, and leads a confused Regina into the living room.

 

Emma hurries outside to find Archie, finally beginning to feel a little nervous. He’s parked just down the street, far enough away for Regina not to have noticed out the window, and he steps out of the car with a canine bundle of excitement hot on his heels.

 

The puppy is wearing a dark blue leash and collar that Henry had picked out, and the little silver bell that dangles from the latter rings out as she barrels towards Emma and leaps up against her legs. Laughing, Emma takes the leash from Archie, thanks him and tells him he can leave, but he insists on hanging around a while longer ‘just in case’.

 

And that’s when it occurs to Emma that there’s a slim chance that Regina will just say _no._ This isn’t the kind of unwanted birthday present you politely stow away until it’s been enough time for you to donate to the needy, or something. A puppy is all or nothing. And Emma knows it will break her heart if she has to send this little creature away.

 

Emma picks up the dog and holds her close, and she looks up at Emma with big, trusting eyes and yelps quietly. It’s as if she’s reassuring Emma that everything will be okay, and Emma relaxes enough to agree. She’s pretty much certain that not even Regina could turn down those puppy dog eyes.

 

So she lets the dog back onto the ground and walks more confidently back towards the house, but decides to pick her back up again once they’re inside so that the sound of her paws on the floor doesn’t give anything away. Taking a deep breath, she hugs the dog tightly to her chest and steps into the living room.

 

“Surprise,” she says with false bravado, and watches as Regina’s jaw drops.

 

The puppy scrambles out of her arms and immediately runs over to Henry, who proceeds to chase her around the room as they both work off their excitement. Regina simply stares between Emma and the chaotic ball of fur running around them, apparently lost for words.

 

“Pongo found a lady dog and had puppies,” Emma explains, and still doesn’t get a response. “Oh my god, please say something, because I really can’t tell if this is worst or best thing I’ve ever done--”

 

“It’s not the worst,” Regina finally answers, and smirks at Emma. Henry finally flops down on the couch in exhaustion, and the puppy sniffs its way over to Regina, the only unfamiliar person in the room. Regina drops down to her knees and lets the dog climb into her lap.

 

“Hello there,” she begins awkwardly, and scratches behind the pup’s ears. She nuzzles against Regina’s hand in response, licking her eagerly, and Emma literally sighs in relief when Regina breaks out into a grin.

 

“Well, aren’t you just precious,” Regina coos. “You were certainly unexpected, but I suppose we can make room for you somewhere in this big old house.”

 

“So we can keep her?!” Henry asks.

 

“Yes, dear,” Regina reassures him, and Emma too, really. “Do you have an idea for her name?”

 

Henry nods. “Yeah, actually. I was thinking we could call her Lucky, like in the movie.”

 

“Lucky.” Regina and Emma share a look, then, and they nod their approval. It fits, Emma thinks, because after so many years, luck has finally become her friend-- and Regina’s friend, too. They have each other, and they have a family, and they’re happy. Considering the battles it took to make it this far, Emma thinks this dog is pretty damn lucky to have ended up in this little family.

 

“Henry, would you take Lucky for a little tour of the house?” Regina asks him, handing Lucky’s leash over. “I’d like to talk to Emma for a minute.”

 

“Sure," he says with that particular eagerness he has whenever he thinks his moms are about to get either really boring or really gross.

 

Once Henry and the dog are safely out of the room, Regina pulls Emma in for a kiss, but pushes her away soon after, wearing a peculiar kind of frown. "Emma, you must understand how much work it is to take on a puppy," she begins, and Emma sighs.

 

"Yeah, I do. And I know it was kind of unfair of me to just dump this on you with no consultation, but..."

 

Regina smiles. "I'm not mad at you. It was a lovely surprise."

 

"So what's this about then?" Emma asks.

 

"Well, as I was saying, it's an awful lot of work. Especially as the only adult in the house."

 

Emma fights the urge to roll her eyes, because Regina is definitely being frustrating on purpose and there’s no way Emma will give her that satisfaction. "I'll help out, you know that,” she promises. “I'm here all the time, anyway."

 

"Mm,” Regina agrees, and steps into Emma’s personal space again. “So, perhaps you would be of greater assistance if you were around more... permanently."

 

And then Emma gets it. “Oh,” she says, and prepares herself for the onset of panic, but it never comes. Instead, she thinks of lazy mornings and family dinners and taking the dog for walks on the weekends, and she smiles. "Really?"

 

"Really," Regina confirms.

 

Emma takes Regina’s hand. "Okay. I'm in." 

 

"You don't have to decide right now, Emma--"

 

"I don't need to think about it,” Emma reassures her. “You're my family. If you want me here, I'll be here. I mean, maybe it's a little scary, but it's also..."

 

"A lot less scary than being alone, I suppose," Regina murmurs. Emma looks into Regina’s eyes, and in that moment, she has never loved her more. She wraps her arms around Regina’s waist and pulls her close, kissing her soundly, but Regina’s noise of contentment is drowned about by a shrill shout from down the hall.

 

_“Moms!”_ Henry cries out, and they break apart, alarmed. “Lucky just peed on my shoe!”


End file.
